


Two Worlds Collide

by ourvelvetscars



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Injury, Castiel/Dean Winchester Angst, Clary and Izzy moments, Clary creating runes again here we go, Dean and Magnus Become Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Dean Winchester, M/M, Magic, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Post 13x16 Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21986443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourvelvetscars/pseuds/ourvelvetscars
Summary: Demons? Not a problem. But these demons aren't your ordinary ones from Hell. They're from a different reality altogether. Sam and Dean team up with a bunch of powerful Shadowhunters to beat the demons and overcome their many obstacles.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 8
Kudos: 125





	1. As if by magic...

Sam and Dean stumbled across a case, three dead teenagers and the attackers had no recollection of what happened to them, all of them had woken up with their hands drenched in blood. Sam thought it was demons, Dean thought it was witches but there were no traces of sulfur nor hex bags. 

"Dude, I have no idea what we're dealing with!" Dean hissed, reversing his impala out of the parking lot and back onto the road.

"Me neither, let's just keep at it. Maybe we're missing something?" Sam suggested, rubbing his eyes wearily. They've been at this case for two days and usually, by this time, they would have found clues, or at least have an idea on what they were hunting but this time, they were completely lost.

Sam and Dean left the impala and entered their motel room, switching on the light to find a bunch of strangers in black clothing and strange weaponry standing before then. Dean pulled out his .45 caliber, and Sam yanked out the angel blade.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean ordered.

The man, tall, head of black hair, what Dean could have called handsome, holding a bow and arrow. Another man was standing too close to him, red streaks in his hair, a bit of jewellery, black-painted nails, and what looked like some very expensive boots. A woman, hair as orange as the waning sunset, with an expression that could kill you with one look. Another woman holding a whip, and a man gripping swords that had weird writing carved onto them.

"Calm your horses, we're here to help," the man with the spiky red streaks in his hair spoke. Dean noticed the rings on his fingers. 

"Bullshit," Dean grunted.

"Look, I'm Alec, this is Magnus. My sister Isabelle, my brother Jace and his girlfriend Clary. Now, put down the damn gun, we're here to _help_ ," Alec remarked, putting away his arrow.

Dean eyed him carefully, but as Alec lowered his weapon, so did Dean.

"What the fuck are those?" Dean asked, nodding to the swords.

"Freaking _mundanes_ ," the other boy, Jace, muttered.

"We're not from your world," the girl with the fire hair, Clary, spoke, "we accidentally opened a portal to your world and some demons got through. We're here to kill those demons and return. We mean no harm, honestly."

"Oh… demons… wait… _demons?_ " Sam asked confused.

"Yes, demons. They can shapeshift and possess humans. We're Shadowhunters, part angel, part human, and we hunt those demons," said Isabelle, the really attractive woman wearing extensive heels. Sam looked at her heels and her outfit, rather impressed that she was comfortable fighting in them. 

"I need a drink," Dean muttered, but Sam looked at him like he lost his mind.

"Part angel, part human? In our world, that's a Nephilim," Sam said, trying to piece it together.

Jace shrugged, "well, yeah, that's another name, I guess."

Something in Sam's brain clicked, "hold up, your demons _shapeshift?"_

"Yours don't?" Magnus asked, humorously.

"I think the lore is a bit different in your world. You're Sam and Dean Winchester, right? You're hunters? You do what we do, except without the powers."

"You guys have powers now?" Dean asked, grabbing his bottle of beer. Magnus looked at the bottle and squirmed.

"You sure you don't want something stronger?" Magnus asked, a small smile playing on his lips. He waved his hands and the bottle of beer, transformed into a bottle of vodka. Dean gazed at it and then back at Magnus.

"Alright, I like you," Dean said. Magnus smiled back, amused, while Alec nudged him with his elbow.

"Wait, hold up. How do you even know who we are?" Sam asked.

"I'm a centuries-old warlock, I learn fast," Magnus said, "You're working this case right? The three dead teenagers? We think it's our kind of demon."

Sam slowly nodded, "well, it would make sense, I suppose. Dean and I have been stumped over this case for a while. So, tell me more about, uh, your world. We need to know what we're dealing with."

"Hold on! You trust them?" Dean said, immediately, pointing his finger at them accusingly.

Sam looked at him with a small shrug, "Absolutely not. But let's just hear what they have to say." Alec and Jace stared at Sam as if someone slapped them across the face. 

Sam indicated for the rest of them to sit down wherever they pleased. There weren't many chairs, just two, so Clary and Isabelle squeezed into one. Alec and Magnus fell into one of the beds, and Sam and Dean sat on the other bed. Jace just stayed standing, Alec grinned at him teasingly. Magnus used his magic to conjure up more drinks for everyone, but God knows they'll need it. Alec and Jace spoke for most of the time, well, mostly Alec, trying to explain their world, their demons, and their jobs. Sam and Dean nodded, trying to wrap their minds around this whole new world. According to Alec, there were different types of demons: Greater demons and Lesser demons, who had the ability to possess a human and leave, leaving the human with no memory of when they were possessed. Sam huffed, watching as their case slowly pieced together at last.

When Sam realised Dean wasn't going to speak, he did. He explained their world to the newcomers, about how their demons could not shapeshift and more about Heaven and Hell. This left even Magnus in shambles. 

"So, your best friend is an angel?" Clary asked with wide excited eyes.

"Yeah, crazy huh? I'll text Cas to get his ass over here," Dean said, pulling his phone out and typing furiously.

"And you guys are the only ones who can kill these demons because only Shadowhunters can wield a… seraph blade? So, what do you need our help then?" Sam asked.

"You're hunters, and you know this world, we don't. We need to work together," Clary said.

"Wait, how old are you guys anyway?" Dean asked.

Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Alec were all around the same age in their early twenties but Magnus… Magnus was the odd one out.

"And you?" Dean asked, eyeing Magnus.

Magnus rolled his eyes, "I'd rather not say my age. Respect your elders, Dean. I've been alive for a while, let's just keep it at that."

Dean grinned, "Cas is the same. You two will get along great. Although, I think Cas might be older. He was alive when humanity began and all that."

Jace's mouth hung open as he watched Dean talk about Castiel. 

Magnus smirked, "you and Castiel are close?"

Dean shrugged, "he's our best friend, well the ONLY friend we've got."

Isabelle looked at him sympathetically.

Dean eyed Alec and Magnus and raised his eyebrows. Magnus interlocked his fingers into Alec's before going, "I know, I got super lucky. Anyone in your life, Dean?" Alec smiled gently to himself.

Dean smiled back, his eyes a little sad and envious.

"No."

Dean asked Cas to bring some dinner for their new friends/guests and Cas just replied with a text going _"Dean, what did you get yourself into?"_

Dean and Sam talked some more with the Shadowhunters and the warlock who was getting on way too well with Dean until Cas knocked on the door. Dean went to answer it and almost started laughing at how Cas was holding paper bags filled with burgers, fries and drinks.

"You know, you _could_ help, instead of laughing," Cas muttered to Dean. The hunter helped him with the food and distributed them to the others.

"Guys, this is Castiel. Cas, these are some people from an alternate world," Dean said. Cas looked at him a little confused but unfazed nonetheless. "They hunt demons and a few of their demons have entered our world, so they're here to help kill them."

"So, this is just another day, huh?" Cas sighed. The Shadowhunters introduced themselves to Castiel, who politely shook hands with everyone. He came to Magnus, who had a huge stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Castiel, an honour. Magnus Bane," Magnus said, shaking Cas's hands.

"Have we met?" Cas asked, puzzled.

Magnus laughed, shaking his head, "No, but Dean speaks very highly of you. And I finally found someone who's been alive much longer than I have."

Cas smiled a little at the comment, "it's nice to meet you, Magnus. I hope we can all get along."

As it turns out, Castiel and Magnus got along splendidly well. They were both powerful beings, way beyond their time, who were hopelessly in love with a mortal. Alec and Dean talked a bit, Dean didn't like Alec's attitude much but he kept his mouth shut because he knew damn well Magnus would turn him into a frog if he said anything against the Shadowhunter. Dean got alone fine with Jace too. Jace was cocky and stubborn and reminded Dean of his younger self. Isabelle and Clary spoke with Sam, the three of them in a deep conversation about other worlds, and then somehow moved onto talking about weaponry as Isabelle was the weapons master at the New York Institute.

"So, you and Dean are what exactly?" Magnus asked, hooking his arm into Alec's.

"Just friends," Both Dean and Cas answered simultaneously, and maybe a little too quickly. Magnus snickered, and Alec quickly nudged him to stop.

"Dean and I have been good friends for a while now," Cas said.

"How did you and Alec meet?" Dean asked, changing the topic.

Magnus grinned but Alec was the one who spoke, "we were fighting this rogue Shadowhunter and I saved his ass."

"Oh, please, Alexander. I would have defeated that warlock by myself just fine. But I _was_ pleased to see you," Magnus laughed, wrapping his hands around Alec's waist, "And you two?"

Dean looked at Cas quickly, but Cas beat him to it, "Dean summoned me after I rescued him from hell... then he stabbed me in the chest."

Alec looked appalled, but Magnus howled with laughter, "you didn't!"

Dean grinned, "Yeah, I was a bit of a little shit back then."

"A bit?" Cas asked, pretending to sound surprised. Dean slapped his arm playfully and Cas just went along with it.

"What are those markings?" Dean asked, pointing to the deflect rune on Alec's neck.

"Oh, these are runes. They give us special abilities like stamina, strength, healing, whatever. It helps us hunt demons better," Alec said. Dean looked pretty impressed. 

It was getting late so Sam went and booked 2 more rooms for the others. Alec and Magnus got one room with a double bed (of course) and Jace, Isabelle and Clary got a separate room. Once everyone dispersed, Cas turned to Sam and Dean.

"Guys," he said, giving them the _'what-have-you-done'_ look.

Dean put his hands up defensively, "Woah, hey, not our fault. Not this time anyway. Sammy and I were working case here and we couldn't figure it out. And then these guys showed up out of nowhere!"

Cas sighed, "I suppose at this point, I shouldn't be surprised."

Sam laughed, "exactly."

Cas looked at Dean when Sam excused himself to use the bathroom to change.

"Dean, are you okay? You seemed a bit preoccupied," Cas said.

Dean sighed, "uh yeah. It's just, these are a bunch of kids, you know? Except for that Magnus guy."

"Magnus seems cool. As do the rest of them. Dean, you should rest. I'll be back in the morning," Cas said, leaving Dean to his thoughts, which was never a good idea. When Sam came out of the bathroom, Dean went and cleaned up. Before passing out, Dean slid his gun under his pillow, making sure Sam didn't get a glimpse of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a shadowhunters/spn crossover nobody asked for, bc why not :)  
> Let me know what you think!  
> -nethmi


	2. Demons Inside

Dean woke up, twisting and turning in his bed. It was 4 am and the nightmares had returned. Most of the nightmares, okay maybe all of them, consisted of Cas's most recent death, a trauma that clung onto Dean's fear and insecurities in his mind. Dean, usually, brushed it off like it was nothing. He texted Cas, just to calm his rising anxiety, and to know his friend was alive.

Cas immediately texted back, of course. Dean's eyes focused on the darkness surrounding him, and he felt more alive now than he would if he went back to sleep and tried to wake up again, so he grabbed his jacket and put on his shoes. He snatched his keys, trying not to wake his brother and left their motel room silently.

Dean bumped into Cas as he went down the creaky metal stairs at the motel to the Impala.

"Cas?" Dean said, holding Cas's shoulder.

"Dean, it's so early. Go back to sleep," Cas stated.

Dean sighed and then groaned, "there's no point, Cas. I was about to go for a drive, you wanna come?"

Cas, of course, nodded eagerly and entered the passenger's seat. He loved late night/early morning drives with Dean. It always felt peaceful being on the road at this god-awful hour.

Dean started driving without a destination in mind. 

Cas conversed, "how are we doing with the spell?"

Dean gripped the wheel tighter, "we have all the ingredients except one."

"Archangel grace."

Cas looked down at this hands, "We'll figure this out, somehow. We'll save your mother and Jack."

Dean sighed heavily, "I just don't know anymore. What if they're already dead? What if we're too late?"

Cas shook his head, "No. Your mother is strong and so is Jack. They're still alive, I know it."

Dean remained silent, eyes pinned to the road ahead, but Cas continued, "are you still having nightmares? Is that why you're awake?"

Dean turned pale, "how do you know…"

Cas studied Dean, "I heard you once in your sleep. You kept calling out my name, so it came off like a prayer. Dean, are you okay?"

Dean's knuckles turned white, "Yeah, Cas. I'm fine. What- uh- what else did you hear?" He remembered the nightmares. Cas dying, the light fading from his eyes, Cas's body collapsing to the ground, Lucifer grinning, and Dean feeling like he had his whole heart ripped out.

"No, you're not okay. You still dream about my death, right? Dean, you kept saying 'Not him, not Cas' and 'Please come back to me' over and over again a few nights ago." Cas said.

Dean turned the car, going dead silent.

"Dean, I didn't realise how much- how much pain you were in after my… after I was gone," Cas said, quietly.

Dean glared at him, " _ Pain? _ Damnit, Cas. I felt like my whole heart got torn out of my god damn chest. Don't you ever pull that kind of shit on me, again."

Cas lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

"You trust these Shadowhunters?" Dean was grateful that he changed the topic.

"Not really, but we've worked with far worse. I mean we worked with the king of hell, for fuck's sake. Let's just see how this goes," Dean mumbled gripping the wheel.

"You trust Magnus?" Cas asked.

"The warlock? No way. He looks like he could end me with one look, but he got a sense of humour I'll give him that," Dean said, his lips curving upwards into a small smile.

"I'm still more powerful than him," Cas muttered.

Dean looked at Cas really quickly, "I don't think we need to test that theory out. Just don't get on his bad side, alright? Don't want you dying on me again."

Cas kept his gaze on Dean for a while, trying to read Dean but Dean had walls that were sometimes impossible to break down. This was going to be one interesting hunt.

\--

When Dean returned to his room, Sam was already up with his eyes plastered onto his laptop screen. He didn't even look up when Dean closed the door behind him, Cas close behind his heels.

"There's been another one," said Sam.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Dean grunted.

"Yeah, but no one died this time, which is weird…" Sam continued. Dean exchanged a quick glance with Cas.

"Alright, so I'll go with Jace and Clary to go talk to the other attackers who were possessed. Isabelle mentioned that the demons leave demon ichor behind, a bit like how our lot leave trails of sulfur, so she, Alec and Cas can go look more into that. You and your new-found buddy Magnus can check with our new victim, Hayley Jenner," Sam said.

Dean grumbled, "why am I stuck with the warlock?"

Sam smirked, "I thought he was your new drinking buddy."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother, muttering some curses at him as he went to get dressed. Sam went to check up on the Shadowhunters to see if they were awake, which they were and told them their plan. Everyone was on board.

\--

They split up in their groups. Cas didn't want to leave Dean with Magnus because he was still uncertain, but he didn't have much of a choice. It wasn't the fact that Cas didn't like how Magnus was flirting with Dean or how he was afraid Magnus might get him drunk and do something reckless, but it was more about the fact that Magnus was an all-powerful sardonic warlock they knew absolutely jack about. 

Cas followed Alec and Izzy to the street where the murder had taken place. Cas liked Isabelle; she was fierce but enjoyable, she was loyal and extremely compassionate. Alec, on the other hand, he was more snarky and sarcastic, but Cas could tell he, too, was pure of heart.

"So, how did an angel, like yourself, get stuck with a bunch of humans? Did you draw the short straw?" Alec asked. Cas noticed he had that exact same annoying grin Dean had.

"Honestly, it just sort of happened. Sam and Dean are good people, they became my friends and family," Cas said.

Izzy said, "same with Jace. He's actually our adopted brother. He became family too."

Cas observed Alec, "you and Jace… what's up with that?"

"Oh, Jace and I are parabatai. We're closer than brothers. My soul is sort of tied to his, he's a part of who I am. So if Jace dies, a part of me literally dies as well. Being parabatai helps us fight better, we're more in sync and we understand each other without having to even say anything." Alec explained.

They arrived at the street where their first attack had taken place. There was thick black goo stuck to the tires of a truck.

"That it?" Cas asked pointing.

"Yep, demon ichor." Isabelle took out a wooden stick from the sidewalk and poked the goo.

"Izzy, come on," Alec said, with a deadpan expression on his face.

Cas sighed, "so what now?"

Alec looked at Izzy, " The demon must be staying low somewhere nearby before it attacks it's victims so we can find out where. We'll search for the other two places as well."

Cas and Izzy nodded, as Alec took the lead the way he naturally did.

\--

Jace, Clary and Sam went to speak with the attackers who were possessed. Two of them were at the police station, and one was in the hospital staying behind for a psych evaluation. They went to the hospital first.

Clary went in with Sam while Jace stayed behind. Clary was so intrigued with Sam, the way he spoke and pretended to be FBI, the way he asked the right questions and didn't leave any space for suspicions. Sam was very thorough, but he was gentle. Clary and Jace had told Sam what possession was like, and how to approach the teenagers. They didn't want to freak them out or trigger any more trauma than what they had already been through.

Sam and Clary left the hospital to find Jace waiting inside their rented car listening to some classic rock.

"I didn't know you were into this kind of music?" Clary teased.

Jace mumbled, "I'm not. I just didn't know how to change the radio station."

Sam smirked, "So yeah, just like you said. No memory of what happened. The girl just woke up, with blood on her hands, slouching over a dead body who turned out to be her best friend. And we found out, her parents had gotten divorced only a few days ago."

"Oh, so she was vulnerable. Demons prey on those sensitive and unguarded. Easy prey for them. Man, her best friend? That's dark," Jace said.

They went to the police station and found the stories to be similar. This only confirmed their theory was right.

"I hope Dean and Magnus have found something useful," Jace said, a little too hopeful.

\--

Magnus was a delight, but a pain in the ass at the same time. Dean drove his Impala to the crime scene with Magnus riding shotgun.

"You know, you can't enter a crime scene looking like you just left a club?" Dean said.

Magnus rolled his eyes, "I am NOT wearing those wretched tight suits."

Dean glared at Magnus, "Alright fine. Just stay quiet and let me handle this, okay? Maybe just… cut down on all the glam at least. We're going to a freaking crime scene, not a dance party."

Magnus sighed, but he clicked his fingers and his outfit changed- tight black pants, black and white polka dot shirt covered with a leather jacket.

The girl, Hayley, was surrounded by policemen and nurses from the ambulance, checking all her vitals.

"I swear I didn't know what happened! I don't remember anything," She cried.

The police stared at Dean, who smiled pulling out his FBI badge, "Special Agent Ackles, and my intern. We heard about these string of attacks. We're here to talk to Hayley Jenner."

The tired weary-eyed policeman sighed but letting them through.

"Hayley, right? I'm special agent Ackles, I'm here to figure out what's going on here. So, maybe you can help me out with that. What happened?" Dean asked, firm but gentle.

"I don’t know! I just woke up and this guy was just laying there on the floor. I thought he was dead, so I called the police, but then I saw the blood on my hands, and I just- I don't know," She said, desperately.

Magnus eyed her, "And that's… all you remember?"

The girl nodded, glancing down. Dean asked a few more questions about when she left her house, how long she had been gone for, and who this man was that she had attacked. But her answers were all the same: "I don't know."

Dean and Magnus left, ducking under the yellow tape, completely frustrated.

"Something's not right. Why didn't the demon just kill the man? It attacked but didn't kill. It doesn't fit the pattern," Magnus said.

"I know, but I can't figure it out. Maybe that man wasn't its target?" Dean asked.

Magnus bit his lips, "No. Demons are demons, they don't have  _ plans,  _ they're not sharp creatures. They just attack... This feels off."

Dean was about to reply when he got yanked back by a strong grip on his shoulder. He looked just in time to see the girl, Hayley, with black eyes swinging, her fists into his face. There was a whole rush of commotion that Dean didn't see nor hear. Policemen trying to catch up to Hayley, Magnus being completely thrown off but not knowing how to use his magic without making it so obvious. The demon, Hayley, snarled before sinking its claws into Dean's shoulder. Dean, who had been knocked down, shrieked. Magnus used his magic to create a small barrier around Dean without making it so apparent, giving the police a chance to grab the demon and pin it down. Dean felt a cool had on him, and heard two loud gunshots before completely passing out.

Dean woke up to loud voices, some he recognised and others he did not.

"What's your magic worth if you can't even protect him?" Dean recognised it as Castiel's voice.

"I couldn't use my magic out in the open without getting noticed!" Magnus yelled. Dean opened his eyes enough to see Cas yelling furiously at Magnus.

"Don't you dare talk back to him!" Alec fired back. Isabelle put a gentle hand on Alec, and Magnus told him to stop.

"Cas?" Dean muttered. Cas dropped everything and rushed to Dean's aid.

"Dean, how do you feel?" Cas asked.

"Like I got hit by a friggin' truck," Dean mumbled, "Where's Sam?"

"They're on their way," Cas said gently. He stood up and glared at Magnus, "I trusted you to protect him!"

"Castiel, I'm sorry. I am. But I healed him before the demon poison could do any harm. He'll be okay," Magnus said, slowly.

Dean tried to sit upright, his head spinning possibly worse than any hangover he's ever head. Dean looked down and realised he was shirtless.

"Fellas, what happened?" He asked. Dean tried to stand but fell back down onto the mattress. Once his vision and head cleared, he realised they were back at the motel. He looked down at his shoulder which was covered by a bandage.

"Hayley had been possessed all that time. She attacked you. The police shot her down. Ordinary bullets don't kill our demons so most likely, the demon escaped, and jumped into another body. I used my magic, brought you here and healed you," Magnus said.

"You wouldn't have had to heal him if you had looked after him!" Cas hissed at Magnus.

Dean tried to get Cas's attention by grabbing onto his hand, "Cas, just chill, alright? We've had worse, hell,  _ I've _ had worse. Magnus tried his best. And I'm okay, I swear. Just... help me stand up."

Cas sighed, "give me your other hand." Dean obliged, taking both of Castiel's hands. Cas helped pull Dean up to his feet. Dean was still unstable, so he instinctively put an arm around Cas's shoulder until he found his footing.

"So, what do we do now?" Dean asked, glancing at them.

Isabelle spoke up, "I talked to Clary. She said she might be able to track the demon using a rune she created."

Dean nodded, feeling exhausted already so he just sat back down. Dean watched Alec check up on Magnus just like Cas had done a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Alexander," Magnus said in a hushed voice.

"You should have been more careful," Alec muttered pulling Magnus in using his jacket until their lips met. The kiss was gentle and loving. Magnus pulled away and smiled, placing a kiss on Alec's cheek quickly. Dean felt a sudden ache in his chest that he knew wasn't from the demon attack, and his eyes flickered to the angel sitting beside him. Cas watched Dean, watch Alec and Magnus, with an unreadable expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cas asked, blue eyes piercing into Dean's soul.

"Never better," Dean grinned. Cas's eyes flickered to Dean's shoulder.

"Turn to face me. Let me heal whatever I can," Cas said. Dean shifted to face Cas properly. Cas put his right hand on Dean's left shoulder, firmly. Dean felt a cool comforting chill travel from his shoulder, and all around his body.

"There," Cas said quietly. Dean ripped off the bandage and to see his skin perfectly healed as though nothing had happened. And the pain was gone.

"Thanks, feathers," Dean said, "pass me my shirt over will ya?"

Dean saw Magnus and Alec staring in awe, and turned a little pink. 

They waited for Clary, Jace and Sam to come by, and the wait was agonisingly slow. However, when they  _ did _ return, they came with news. One that nobody saw coming…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do y'all think of the Magnus/Dean friendship? I wanted to explore more of their dynamic bc I think it's a fun interesting one.   
> Hope you like the fic so far :)  
> -nethmi


	3. For You I'll Fight

Clary, Jace and Sam burst through the motel door, with Sam on his heels looking more worried but equally pissed. He checked up on Dean but the hunter just replied with, "you look more worried now than when I had the Mark of Cain." 

Cas could help but smile when he heard Jace mutter, " _ the mark of WHAT?" _

Clary turned her attention to the rest of them as Sam and Dean settled down, "Alright, so we have a bit of a problem."

Alec heaved and slouched his back, "yeah, because we don't have enough of those already…"

Clary tilted her head, "Magnus control your boyfriend. So, I created a rune that could track the demon, but it turns out we’ve got at least six demons on the loose. Five are ordinary lesser demons, but the other one…"

She turned to the warlock, looking extremely concerned and panicked. 

"What is it, biscuit?" Magnus asked, now becoming more distressed with each passing second.

Clary sighed, "Magnus, it's a greater demon. I don't know which one but I can feel its power; it's strong and I couldn't track it."

Magnus wanted to scream,  _ "seriously?"  _

"Wait, what?" Dean asked, like a deer caught in headlights, "what's happening?"

Magnus turned to them with a slide of his heel, "Greater demons are far more powerful and far harder to kill. But lucky for you, you've got me."

"Meaning what exactly?" Sam asked, scratching his head, watching Magnus's eye dart back and forth.

"Magnus's father was a Greater Demon, Asmodeus. He ruled over Edom with Lilith, so Magnus can draw more power from Edom if he has to," Alec explained, monotonously.

Cas frowned, leaning against the wall. Sam, Dean and Castiel stared at the others as if they had seen… well, not a ghost… perhaps something even worse.

"Ok, let's pretend we understood all that for a second... So how do we kill it?" Dean asked, going over to the mini-fridge to pull out a drink.

"Well, I can try to-" Magnus started, but was quickly interrupted by Alec.

"Hold on, why couldn't you sense that a Greater Demon was in this world?"

"Alexander, I am a warlock, not a freaking  _ seer _ ," Magnus said, "I don't know. I don't know much about this world and its power. But I can try to track it, my power will be stronger than you Shadowhunters anyway. And I'm the only one here who can kill it."

"Well, that's promising," Castiel said, watching Magnus.

"So, Clary said there are five other lesser demons, right? While Magnus tries to track the Greater Demon, the rest of us can get to work on the others. Clary, where are they?" Isabelle asked. Clary asked for a map of the area, which Sam provided. She quickly grabbed a red marker from Sam, and circled five areas, before the memory left her.

"There."

The hunters, angel, Shadowhunters, and the warlock peaked over each others' shoulders at the five locations.

"Dibs on the bar," Dean grinned.

Cas caught his biceps, "you are not hunting."

Dean slumped, "come on, Cas. I feel great, friggin' fantastic!"

Magnus looked at Cas, "I'll go with him."

Cas narrowed his eyes at the warlock, "you think I trust you after what happened to Dean just now?" Everyone looked between Castiel and Magnus. The tension in the air electrified between them. Dean didn't want Cas to fight with Magnus, a fight between two extremely powerful beings? Probably not the best idea...

Dean grabbed Cas by his trenchcoat, and pulled him to the other corner of the room, "Cas, seriously, calm down."

"How can you trust him?" Cas asked, swatting Dean's hand away.

"I never said I did. Look, Magnus has some serious mojo, alright? He can keep me safe. I can't kill these demons, but Magnus can with his magic. Let me work this case, Cas. You know I need it," Dean said, staring into Castiel's deep blue eyes.

_ You could get lost in those eyes,  _ Dean thought,  _ like... an ocean... _

_ "I'm _ the one who keeps you safe, Dean," Cas said, just as furiously as before. Dean's eyes softened, but he held Cas firmly by the shoulder.

"I know. But I need you to have a little faith in me right now, angel," Dean said. Dean had never called Cas "angel" until today, and it seemed to hit somewhere close to home. Cas sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine. But if anything happens, you call me," Cas said. Dean slapped Cas's back with a grin going, "atta boy."

When Dean and Cas joined the others, it was settled. Dean and Magnus will head to the bar to hunt one demon. Clary and Isabelle with Sam will head to the park to take down two demons. Alec, Jace, and Castiel will hunt down the other two.

\--

The night drew in faster than any of them had expected. The darkness engulfing the air in the blink of an eye. Dean pulled up the Impala and set foot with Magnus, entering the bar. Loud music and bright lights blinded them, bodies crashing against each other.

"Are we not gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" Magnus asked, blinking a few times until his vision adjusted.

"Which one?" Dean asked, eyes searching for something,  _ anything.  _

"Castiel. What's going on with you two?" Magnus asked.

"Cas is one overprotective lil guy, ya know." Dean went over to the bar, leaning against the long canopy surface. Magnus joined him by sitting down on one of the stools.

"It's not just that. I mean, Alec is overprotective, but Castiel, he cares deeply for you, more than you realise I think," Magnus called over the bartender, ordering them some shots of whiskey.

"Cas is just like that," Dean said. Magnus eyed him up and down, sighed a little, and ended the conversation.

The warlock scanned the room carefully as Dean downed the shots without a second thought, making a disgusted face as the alcohol burned his throat.

"I found him," Magnus said. He nudged Dean, and pointed to a man, about Dean's age. He was lean, and fit, and having way too much fun beating everyone at pool.

The warlock and the hunter stormed over to the man, who already seemed to have spotted them. The man dropped everything he was holding and sprinted out the back door. Dean was quickly on his heels. He grabbed the man, pushing them both out of the door, and tackled him to the ground in the dark and dirty alleyway.

Magnus raised his hands, which were glistening with purple magic, muttered something in a foreign language, and pushed the man against the wall, and away from Dean. The demon's eyes flared black as it screamed. Magnus enclosed his fingers, curving his hand into a ball and the demon rose out of the human body. The man, now unconscious, collapsed to the door, and Dean watched as Magnus ruthlessly torched the demon into shards. After the alleyway fell into an eerie silence, Dean checked up on the man on the floor, successfully finding his pulse. He laid him down against the wall. Magnus helped Dean up to his feet.

"You okay?" Magnus asked, "Don't want to get on your boyfriend's bad side again."

Dean's eyes shifted, "he's not my- yeah I'm good."

Magnus's lips curved up into a smile, "Good. Now come with me, we need to go someplace quiet so I can track the Greater Demon."

"Don't you need Clary for that?" Dean asked, stuffing his gun and angel blade back into his coat.

"I think I can do it without her," Magnus headed towards the Impala.

They drove a bit, Magnus keeping silent until the warlock asked Dean to stop at a random gas and sip station.

"You go get us some food, I'm starving. I'm going to go track this demon," Magnus said, to which Dean nodded.

Magnus waited until Dean was out of sight, got out of the impala and headed to the back. He closed his eyes, focusing his energy carefully. He muttered a few words that no one but himself would have understood, and his royal gold cat eyes appeared.

_ "Hecate," _ Magnus murmured into the darkness. His cat eyes vanished, as he quickly hurried over to find Dean. Dean was already back with food and was surprised to find Magnus looking so weary.

"Get in and drive," Magnus said.

"What? Are you okay?" Dean asked, already shuffling into the driver's seat.

" _ Drive _ , Dean," Magnus ordered.

As they were on the road back to the motel, Dean asked, "what happened?"

Magnus focused his eyes on him, "I found it. The Greater Demon, her name is Hecate. But as I was tracking her I realised she was tracking me too. I tried to use my magic to conceal us, but I don't know how effective that was."

"Wait, she was  _ tracking _ you?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Greater demons are different. Trust me, Dean, you don't want to fight them," Magnus said. Dean bit his lips and gripped the wheel tighter.

"I'll text Alexander and let him know. I'll tell him to tell Castiel to meet you at the motel when he's done. I don't want you getting involved in this, but I can't leave you alone either." Dean nodded as Magnus's words, finally realising how serious their situation was and how Dean couldn't defend himself this time.

"Will angel blades work on your demons?" Dean asked.

"I doubt it, but frankly I don't know. And I don't think we should find out…"

\--

Alec, Jace and Castiel were at the park. One demon was vanquished but the other one was still roaming around. The Shadowhunters used their rune abilities to track the demon and hone into its heat signature. Alec received a call and once he finished, he turned to Castiel.

"Castiel, you should head back. Magnus tracked the Greater Demon and they're going back to the motel, but he doesn't want to leave Dean alone. You should be with him," Alec said.

Cas shook his head, "but what about you guys? I'm not just leaving you here!"

Jace sighed, "we appreciate your concern, but we'll be fine. Dean needs you now anyway. Alec and I got this." Cas checked with Alec before quickly heading off.

Jace turned to Alec, "I can't believe we're talking to friggin' angels."

Alec smirked, "Didn't you and Clary talk to an angel once?"

Jace sighed, "Oh yeah, but our angels are more... ethereal, I mean Cas is practically human. Do you think Magnus will be okay?"

Alec sighed, "He better be, or else he's taking the couch for the next week." Alec noticed the heat signature becoming stronger and both boys pulled out their seraph blades. Jace went one way around the little bush of flowers, and Alec went the other. There was an agonising high pitched screamed that made both boys sprint towards the noise. The demon was possessing a woman, maybe in her 30s, and when it saw the Shadowhunters, it screeched.

Alec thrust his knife first into the demon but it howled and backed away. Jace came from the other side and threw a few punches sending it flying in Alec's direction. Alec grasped it in his arms, and Jace stabbed the knife to the woman's shoulder. The demon left the body in a puff of smoke, and Jace whipped out his seraph blade again, destroying the demon. Alec gently laid the woman down, her wound looked like a normal infected wound. He called 911 before leaving the scene with Jace.

\--

Cas found Dean in the motel, pacing back and forth.

"Castiel, good, you're here," Magnus said.

"What's going on?" Cas asked, eyeing Dean, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm peachy," Dean said.

Magnus went over to Castiel, "So, I tracked the demon. Her name is Hecate, but I think she was tracking me as well. I wanted you to be here in case the demon came after Dean. I'm going to go track this bitch down and send her back to her own realm."

Dean stopped him, "Wait, Magnus, will you be safe?"

Magnus grinned at Dean, "And when have we ever been safe? I'll get Alexander and Jace on the way. Clary, Isabelle and your brother are still hunting the demons so they'll join me once they're done." Dean was about to speak when Magnus interrupted him, "and yes, I will send you brother back here too, don't you worry."

Dean nodded, grateful.

"Magnus, if this demon comes after us, how do we stop her?" Cas asked.

"You're an angel, my dear. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Castiel gave the warlock an unimpressed look before Magnus quickly left the motel.

Cas turned to Dean who just shrugged in response and fell back into the bed.

"Dean, while we're here, we should talk."

Dean closed his eyes,  _ I can't have one second without feeling like my heads about to fucking explode huh? _

"Cas, can we like… not?" Dean replied, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Dean, you're hurting, and you won't talk to anyone about this. I understand if you don't want to talk to me, but Sam?" Cas said.

Dean stood upright, eyes quickly finding Cas who was standing with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his coat.

"There's nothing to talk about, Cas. I'm good."

Cas frowned at him, "Yeah, you said you're…  _ peachy." _

Dean rolled his eyes, getting up to fetch a glass of water even though he could use another bottle of beer right about now.

Cas followed him, "Does Sam know about your nightmares?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No."

Cas sighed, turning Dean to finally face him,  _ "Dean." _

"Damnit Cas, what part of  _ 'leave me alone'  _ don't you understand?" Dean shouted, slapping away Cas's hands, "talking won't change the fact that you died. Right in front of my fucking eyes! You died and I couldn't do a damn thing about it! I lost mom right after, and then Jack… Jack-"

Dean slammed his glass of water down.

"Jack was a constant reminder of everything I lost! Jack was alive, and you weren't! And then Sammy wanted to raise the kid, and yeah, he's a good kid and I love him to bits. But every time I looked at him, I saw  _ you! _ " Dean yelled. Cas froze into the floor. Dean's eyes seared into him, so much pain, anger, fury, loss.

Cas waited for Dean to hit him, push him away, or scream again, but it never came. He kept waiting. But it never came.


	4. Running

Dean closed his eyes, lowered his head, and Cas saw a tear fall out. Dean gripped the table that he leaned against on until his knuckles turned white.

"Dean, I'm alive now. That's what matters right?" Cas asked, slipping his hands into Dean's. Usually, Dean would push him away, but this time, he just let it happen. Dean looked up, meeting Castiel's blue eyes.

"Every time I looked at that kid, I saw you. He's just like you, it drove me insane, Cas. He did that stupid head tilt thing you do when you're confused, he has your face, your features, your smile, your eyes, he's practically your kid and he _lived_. He lived and you fucking died. I lost you AGAIN. I keep losing you, Cas. When you came back, it was almost too good to be true. I tried to focus on the spell, on what we were doing, but every time I saw you, I just- everything is so fucked up," Dean said, biting his lips nervously. Dean tore his hands away. 

Cas's mouth fell open a little. He finally understood why Dean had been struggling so much more than he had anticipated. Cas died, trying to save Jack. Cas died, but Jack lived. Jack was a constant reminder of everything Dean had lost. His mother, his friend, his hope, his faith.

"I'm so sorry. For all the pain you've endured and the loss. You can't keep bottling things up, Dean. It'll destroy you from the inside out," Cas said, his voice velvet soft. The angel drew small circles on the back of Dean's hand. He read online that this movement is supposed to calm a person down, it's a sign of reassuring them.

"These nightmares aren't just going to disappear. There's nothing anyone can do to fix this because I'm so fucking broken beyond repair. There's no point talking about this," Dean said, suddenly tired and exhausted.

"You are not broken, Dean. You never were. You hurt and you bleed because you care. You're _human._ You care about everyone, and you feel as though they are your responsibility because that's how your father raised you. But it's not true. Dean, listen to me. Just talk to me."

Dean wanted to scream. He wanted Cas to be angry at him because it would make all of this so much easier. But instead, Cas was here, calmly reassuring Dean the way he always does.

"God, just shut _up_ , will you?" Dean screamed.

Cas was taken aback, "Dean…"

"Shut up, Castiel." That was what did it for Cas. Dean never called Cas by his full name unless he was serious unless it was the last straw.

Cas felt the fury and anger boiling inside him, "Why the fuck do you never talk to me? All I do is try to be there for you, but you just keep pushing me away. Why?"

Dean glared at Cas, "Because I don't fucking need you, Cas! I don't want to talk about how fucked my life is, or how everyone within a 2-mile radius ends up dead. I don't wanna talk about Jack, or mom or the fucking spell. I don't wanna think about how my insides are fucking screaming! I don't want to _think_ and I don't know how to deal with this!" 

"So, what? Do you think this pain is just going to disappear? You think this anger, confusion, the loss that you felt, is just going to grow some god damn legs and walk away? You think that pushing away your feelings, your feelings for me, is going to magically evaporate into thin air?" Cas fired back, equally enraged, "I have tried to talk with you, Dean. Every single time. But you just push me away." 

Dean shook his head, "I'm done. I'm done with you. I'm done with this. I'm done with everything. Fuck you, fuck everything."

Dean was about to leave when Cas grabbed his hand, "Please, talk to me. Just talk. I don't want to fight with you, Dean." His voice softened.

"Well that's just too bad, ain't it? Every time I talk to you, my whole body hurts. I can't- Cas, I can't-" Dean hissed back, pulling his arm away, and storming out of the room.

"Dean-" Dean was out the door before Cas could get another word out. There was a powerful demon roaming around, possibly tracking Dean and now the hunter just left because he had to bring up all that darkness again.

Cas shook his head, waking himself up from his little stupor and chased after Dean. When Cas went outside, Dean was nowhere in sight. And what was worse, the Impala was still parked, unmoved.

\--

Magnus met up with the rest of the crew and Sam had already left to go to the motel, when he received a worrying call from Castiel.

"Magnus? Dean's missing," Cas said, the panic in his voice reaching Magnus.

"What do you mean missing? Castiel, you were supposed to look after him!" Magnus said.

"I know! Dean and I had a fight- and he said he needed space and left but when I went after him he was gone and the Impala is still here so he's missing," Cas said breathing heavily into the phone.

"Alright, alright. Calm down. Sam's on the way. Get him and get something that belongs to Dean and meet me at the Wendy's near the bookstore," Magnus said, quickly cutting the call.

He told his fellow Shadowhunter friends their situation and Jace huffed, "he had one job."

Alec smacked his parabatai in the head, "Will you shut up? If anything happens to Dean, that's on us."

"No, it's on Castiel," Jace continued but quickly shut up when Alec glared at him.

They met Cas and Sam just outside Wendy's. Cas carried one of Dean's well known black jackets with him.

"This is his," Cas said. Alec took it from Cas and called Jace over. Everyone watched as Alec and Jace parabatai tracked using Dean's jacket. The golden shimmering light encircling their hands as Jace and Alec stared at each other, trying to pinpoint Dean's location. After a few seconds, Alec pulled away.

"Got it. He's in an abandoned warehouse just outside of town," Alec said confidently.

Magnus groaned, "Oh, this is bad. When I tracked the demon, she was in an abandoned warehouse just outside of town."

"So, the demon has Dean… damnit," Sam muttered.

"We'll get him back. Let's go," Clary interjected, and turned towards the door, not waiting for a reply. Cas saw Alec pull out his bow and arrow before following Clary out the door, always ready for a fight.


	5. War is love, Love is war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, sweetheart," Magnus said, purple sparks of magic firing from his hands.

The warehouse stood just outside of town, looking deserted and a little haunted too. It was pitch black outside, the moon was covered by the thick clouds so any hope of using moonlight as a guide was forgotten. The warehouse was massive, and when Sam Winchester first saw it, it sent shivers all around his body. Sam parked the Impala across the road on the opposite side and waited for Castiel to follow suit. Everyone stepped out.

Sam went to the trunk and opened up their stash of weapons. Alec, Jace and Isabelle were fairly impressed with their collection, and Jace eyed the grenade launcher hungrily. Magnus confirmed the location again, and everyone prepared.

Castiel pulled out his angel blade, Sam collected pretty much everything he could find, and fit into his jackets and little hidden places including a demon knife, angel blade, a gun and even a sachet of holy water. The Shadowhunters whipped out their seraph blades that glowed majestically in the twilight. Isabelle had her whip, Alec had his arrows and quiver, Clary had her two kindjals that looked like delicate mini swords if you will. Delicate but lethal. Jace's weapon of choice was the seraph blade.

"Magnus, you ready?" Alec asked.

Magnus smirked, his cat eyes returning as if to say "yes". Alec gently kissed him before he pulled away.

"What's the plan?" Clary asked.

"Sam and Castiel will _always_ stick with a Shadowhunter, as they aren't equipped to fight this demon, like we are. Sam will stay with Clary, Castiel with Alec going from the back. Jace and Isabelle will go from the front and try to distract the demon. I'll go from the back as well, and try to rescue Dean first. Once we know Dean is safe, then I'll gladly send her ass back to hell," Magnus said with a menacing smile at the end.

"And nobody does anything to hurt Dean or put him in more danger," Alec followed through, receiving an appreciative look from Cas.

They went through with the plan, Isabelle and Jace going through the front entrance, loud and proud. Jace used his cockiness to his advantage, annoying and challenging the demon. The rest of them entered from the back. Magnus didn't need to do any spell to track Dean because Dean was laying on his knees right in the middle of the warehouse, blood dripping down his bare chest. Sam grimaced as he saw his brother injured yet again, but Castiel just felt pure anger. They hid behind the shelves at the back, peeping through the gaps to watch what was happening.

The warehouse inside was relatively empty albeit its name. It was more of a barn. There were large shelves of god knows what on either side. There were hooks in the middle that Dean was tied to using metal handcuffs, and a beautiful gorgeous woman standing beside the bleeding hunter. She was wearing a long black dress, her black hair flowing effortlessly down her back. She was smirking at Jace and Isabelle, who had already entered.

"Shadowhunters, always a pleasure. Let me introduce myself. Hecate," She said, with a little bow.

" _Bitch,_ " Jace muttered, snarling at the demon.

"Rude," Hecate said. She eyed Isabelle with a wink, "you got a name?"

Izzy rolled her eyes, clutching her whip tighter, "Sorry, I don't give out my name to evil bitches from hell." Hecate narrowed her eyes, taking a few steps forward.

Once Magnus was certain, he used his magic to rip Dean out of the shackles. There was a huge clatter as the chains broke free. Dean's eyes opened as he felt the magic pulling him. Once Dean was free, Magnus pulled Dean from the ground. He hovered in the air for a split second before Magnus sent Dean directly into Castiel's arms. Dean collapsed into Cas's body, even Alec was a little surprised. The ruckus caused Hecate to turn around, eyes flaring with so much rage as she realised her prisoner was free, and that Magnus Bane was standing before her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Magnus said, purple sparks of magic firing from his hands as he stood away from the shelves and out in the open. He moved away from the others, drawing the demon's attention to him and away from his friends.

Alec grabbed Cas's arm, "Get Dean out of here, and back into the Impala. Clary and Sam go with them." Nobody argued with Alec. Dean was trying to speak and stand up but he was too weak. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but he was rocking back and forth from consciousness to wakefulness. Huge crashes of boxes falling and metal clanging to one another could be heard as the battle commenced. 

"Jesus Christ, Dean," Cas muttered as he hooked an arm under Dean's legs, the other one supporting Dean's back and carried him out of the warehouse following Clary and Sam.

Cas placed Dean in the backseat of the impala, with Sam trying to wake his brother up. Cas closed his eyes trying to heal Dean but something was wrong.

"He's been poisoned again," Clary said observing Dean, "there, on his neck, there's a wound that's different from the rest. It's deeper and looks infected. Dean was poisoned and then he was…" _then he was tortured._

"Okay, what do we do?" Sam asked, trying his best not to panic.

"Cas, do what you can to heal him. I hope Magnus can kill Hecate to save Dean in time," Clary said. Cas didn't say anything, his full attention was on Dean. Dean started to wake up, muttering inaudibly. He kept trying to clasp Cas or Sam's hand. Cas kneeled on the ground, trying to redirect all his grace to help Dean heal. Dean's wound began to heal but extremely slowly. It was almost useless. Castiel felt useless.

Dean opened his eyes again, now staring at Cas, "I'm sorry." He grumbled out.

"Save your strength," was all Cas said in return. He placed his hand on Dean's bare chest, watching how Dean winced at his touch and prayed that Dean will pull through this.

\--

The battle inside raged on. Alec and Jace fought side by side, avoiding all of the demon's attacks. Isabelle was ruthless, she managed to use her whip to knock the demon to the ground which pissed her off even more so that she sent Izzy flying to the other end of the warehouse. Alec got distracted for a millisecond, as he watched his sister get knocked unconscious, which almost cost him his life. Lucky for him, Jace pulled him back at the last moment to stop the demon from slicing him up into half. Hecate was powerful, she was able to fight Jace and Alec while also keeping Magnus at bay. But when Alec got furiously knocked down after another attack, Magnus screamed, unleashing his power out onto her.

"Step away from him!" Magnus shouted as he waved his hands and streams of golden glittery magic poured out of his hands. The magic tied Hecate up to the point where she couldn't move. Magnus pulled her in and away from Alec and Jace. She fought back but her power was no match for Magnus Bane. Magnus breathed in slowly, sending silent daggers at the demon.

"Your father would be proud of you, boy," Hecate snarled. Magnus's lips curved upwards.

"I am not my father."

Magnus waved his right hand with ease and created a portal on the ceiling. Jace watched as the demon was sucked into the portal with such a great force that the entire ground shook. The portal closed with the demon, and the atmosphere around them fell into a silence.

Magnus hurriedly stumbled over to Alec, who was weary but sitting upright.

"He'll be okay. Go check up on Dean," Jace said, placing a hand on Alec's chest. Alec nodded in agreement, as Jace used Alec's stele to activate the Iratze rune.

"Jace, check Izzy," Alec muttered. When Jace went to check on Isabelle, Magnus sprinted out the door to find Clary.

Clary ran up to Magnus the moment she saw him appear out of the warehouse. She tried to explain everything, but then ran out of breath soon enough.

"Just breathe, biscuit," Magnus said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

Sam looked at Magnus, eyes pleading for help.

"Castiel?" Magnus called out. Cas turned to look up at the warlock.

"Oh, it's you. Thank god," Cas said, removing himself from Dean who tried to hold onto the angel. Cas let go of Dean, stumbling into Sam.

"I used most of my grace to try to heal Dean," Cas explained, leaning into Sam for support. Magnus bent down to Dean's eye level. Dean was awake, but his breathing was extremely slow... a little _too_ slow.

"Hey there, champ. You're going to owe me big time," Magnus said, with a small smile. Dean didn't bother replying. He watched as Magnus muttered something no one understood, and purple sparks flew out of his hands and directly into Dean. It was odd. When Castiel healed him, he always felt a rush of something cool coursing through his body. But Magnus's magic was warm. It was warm, and delicate, a little fiery as it stung.

By the time Magnus was finished, the other Shadowhunters came up to them.

"Dean will be okay," Magnus said, letting Dean rest.

Dean was still awake, his eyes trained on the warlock. Before Magnus stood up, Dean quickly caught his arm, "thank you."

Dean called out for Sam, and then for Cas.

"So the demon is dead?" Sam asked, letting Cas check Dean again.

"I sent her back to her demonic realm. She won't return, trust me. All portals are closed," Magnus said, standing beside Alec.

Clary drew her new tracking rune to check for more demons just in case. "All clear. This world is rid of our demons." She announced.

"Thank fucking god," Alec muttered.

"Shall we head back?" Izzy asked.

Dean didn't move from his seat, so Castiel sat beside him on his left, letting Dean's head lay on his shoulders. Alec and Magnus also joined them in the Impala as Sam drove. Clary offered to drive Cas's car back with Isabelle and Jace, as she was the only Shadowhunter who even knew how to drive.

"Perks of being a mundane once," Clary said, as she drove the car down the stranded road.


	6. A brand new day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all pretty much just deancas tbh, enjoy :)

Once they arrived back at the motel, Dean was strong enough to walk on his own so he did. Nevertheless, Sam kept a close eye on his brother. Once inside, Dean immediately went to grab his beer bottle.

"Well, that was one hell of a day," Jace said.

"Tell me about it," Sam shut the door behind him.

Alec grabbed a beer from Dean as well, neither of them saying a word. Clary and Izzy collapsed into the bed, their weapons falling to the ground.

"I think we can rest up today and leave tomorrow?" Magnus asked his friends.

"Someone will have to roll me off this bed because I seriously cannot move," Clary muttered, eyes closed.

"Not a problem," Jace grinned, and Clary's eyes fluttered open just in time to see Jace dragging her out of the bed by holding her hands. She crumbled into his arms, with a little laugh. The Shadowhunters separated and left to their respective rooms to get some rest. Dean and Sam washed up and they both soundlessly went to sleep. Sam checked up on Dean a few times to make sure he was okay but the only reply he got from Dean was "God, you're even more annoying than Cas, Sam." Cas had already left the brothers to sleep.

Castiel was in the nearby diner, trying to waste his hours away when he heard Dean in his head. Dean's voice sounded panicked and stressed, and it worried the angel greatly. Cas quickly paid for his food and left the diner to go to the motel, pretty much sprinting on his heels.

Cas entered the room to find Sam completely passed out, but Dean was mumbling in his sleep. He gritted his teeth and turned his head. Cas quickly rushed to his aid but stopped when he heard the name Dean was whispering over and over again. It was his name, Cas's name.

"Dean?" Cas whispered into the dark. When Dean didn't wake up, Cas shook him up by his shoulders. Dean's eyes opened as he stood upright, very much dazed and confused. Cas placed a hand on Dean's knee slowly.

"Hey, it's me. You're okay."

Dean swore under his breath, turning to see Sam still knocked out on his pillow.

Dean pushed Cas away, "what-" He rubbed his eyes and stood up, stretching. The hunter seized his keys, jacket and left before the angel could stop him. Cas, of course, followed suit.

"Dean, are you okay?" Cas called out when they got down the stairs, and to the Impala.

Dean sighed and turned stopped by the Impala, "Just give me a break, will ya?"

Cas frowned, tilting his head as he did so, "I'm just worried about you. You were having a nightmare and you prayed to me in your sleep, which rarely happens."

"I'm fine now, okay?" Dean said.

Cas stepped forward closing the empty rift between them. Dean tried to open the driver's door, but Castiel closed it.

"No, you are not okay. Talk to me, Dean," Cas said. He was gentle but firm at the same time.

"I'm so tired of talking and  _ thinking _ , Cas," Dean muttered, his flickering from Cas's lips to his eyes back and forth. The angel, of course, noticed.

"Then don't."

Cas hook an arm behind Dean, pulling him closer. Dean's face was only a few inches away; it was almost agonising. The sun was rising very slowly, painting the sky with beautiful vibrant auburn oranges, yellows and light blues. Dean took Cas's advice and stopped thinking. He stopped overthinking everything, and let his body do the talking, which was mostly a very bad idea. He gently pressed his lips against Cas's. The whole world collapsed into stillness as the sky lightened up above them, and Cas immediately kissed back. Cas was gentle, as he always was with Dean, and Dean felt the wind get knocked out of him as he pushed Cas against the door of his beloved car, sliding his hands inside the angel's coat. Cas reciprocated by holding Dean's face in his hands as if it was the most precious and delicate thing in the world. Dean pulled back first, resting his forehead on Cas's. 

"Cas…"

The angel watched the way Dean nervously pulled away, but very slowly, "Are you happy, Dean?" Cas asked. 

"With you? Yes." And that was all Cas needed. He pulled Dean into a warm hug. Beknownst to Dean, Cas wrapped his wings around Dean too, this time. He usually did this when they hugged, or when Dean was in danger and he would bring his wings out to protect the human even they couldn't see it. If Dean sensed a celestial presence beside him, he never mentioned it.

"Then that's all that matters," Cas said. Dean buried his head into Cas's neck. For the first time since Cas came back from the dead, Dean felt truly safe. 

"Dean, I know a lot happened, but you need to talk to me. You need to let me help you. If you won't tell Sam then I won't force you, you know this. But I'm always here. I'm yours, and I need you to understand that," Cas said slowly. Dean nodded, tugging away, but his fingers curled into the beige trenchcoat. 

"I'm sorry. I just don't know how to deal with all of this. When I lose people, I think it's my fault because most of the time  _ it is. _ I can't keep watching you die, Cas. It's driving me fucking insane. And then I just get so  _ angry _ . I don't even know why… I think the anger, the pain, it's always been there. I never really learnt how to deal with it, you know? But I want to _ try. _ I want to try to be better. I want this to work, Cas," Dean said.

"I know, Dean. So, what transpired all this?" Cas asked, curving his lips upwards into a small smile.

Dean looked down, a little shy, "Seeing Magnus and Alec so happy together was like a huge slap to the face. They're so open and hell, they fight well together too. They talk and communicate and they work things out. I want that with you."

Cas's smile widened, "You owe Magnus so much." He placed a soft hand on Dean's cheek.

"Shit, I know," Dean smirked. He leaned further into Cas's touch, closing his eyes and breathing calmly. 

Cas slid his hands down to Dean's waist. Dean looked up over Cas's head to see the sky was bright and blue, and the sun was shining through the pack of clouds at last.

"It's a brand new day," Cas said, not taking his eyes off Dean like he was memorising all of Dean's features.

Dean's eyes travelled back down to Cas, "I'm sorry for pushing you away. I'm so sorry, Cas. I've been a shit person and even shittier friend to you. I hope I can make things right."

"I forgive you, Dean. And don't worry about it. We'll figure this out together, alright?" Cas said. He pulled Dean into another tender kiss. Dean would hate to admit it, but he  _ really  _ liked these kisses- soft and gentle ones, the ones that spoke numbers more than his words ever could. Dean bridged the small gap between them as if there were any, to begin with, putting one hand on the Impala to steady himself and another still resting on Cas's coat. Cas's mouth explored Dean's like it was his new favourite thing to do. Dean didn't mind it one bit and kissed Cas deeper and harder until he heard his phone ring.

"If that's Sam, I will cut his head of hair," Dean grumbled, pulling out his phone. He heard Cas laugh in his arms.

"Yeah?"

"Where the hell are you?" Sam asked on the other side of the phone.

"Uh- why do you ask?" Dean asked.

"If you went out, get everyone some breakfast, will you?" Sam begged.

"You have these things called _ legs, _ don't ya?" Dean replied sarcastically.

"Fuck off, Dean," Sam cut the call.

"Was that Sam?" Cas asked with a small smirk.

"Yeah, come on. Let's go for a drive," Dean stepped back to allow Cas to move as he entered the driver's seat. Dean eased back into his seat as Baby purred to life, and turned to stare at Cas. He knew, at that moment, they would be okay.


	7. The final ride

Dean drove back with Cas on the passenger's seat. Cas took Dean's hand in his as he drove and Dean couldn't help but smile. 

When they returned, everyone met up in Sam and Dean's motel room.

Dean and Cas distributed the food around; Alec and Magnus together, Jace and Clary together, and Isabelle and Sam chatting on about god knows what. Everything seemed perfect; it was almost terrifying. Magnus seemed to notice that Dean and Cas had become closer, but only because Dean was reaching out to touch Cas more often than before without a hesitant pause this time. In all honesty, Sam had noticed this too, but he decided to bring it up later. Jace and Clary laughed together, Clary's eyes crinkling as she smiled and her fiery orange locks of hair bouncing up and down.

"Seriously guys, thanks," Alec said to Sam, Dean and Castiel.

"Not a problem, it's our job to kill monsters no matter what world they're from," Sam said with a playful smirk.

Magnus handed Dean a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Dean asked, placing his bottle down.

Magnus grinned, "My number."

"Magnus…" Alec said, warning him.

"Relax, Alexander," Magnus replied, patting Alec's chest, "Dean, I like you. You're a bunch of fun when you're not dying half the time. If you ever need my assistance, don't hesitate to call. Or if you want to just catch up or need love advice…" Magnus turned to look at Cas and then turned back, "just send me a quick text. You still owe me for saving your life, twice, remember?"

Dean laughed, "Yeah, I remember. Thanks, Magnus. You're not too bad yourself, you know, for a centuries-old warlock." Dean hugged Magnus. It was weird, Magnus had a small slim stature but his grip was tight. Magnus went to see Castiel.

"How's my favourite angel doing?" Magnus asked.

"I'm the  _ only _ angel you've met, Magnus," Cas said, blatantly.

Magnus howled laughing, "Indeed, you are right… which makes you something special, my dear Castiel."

"I know we haven't seen eye to eye all the time, what with Dean nearly dying and all that," Magnus continued, "But thank you for trusting me, and giving me a second chance. You're a good one, angel. And about Dean…" his voice dropped into a hushed voice, "keep an eye out for him. I worry about him, you know? And if you ever need advice, I've got plenty of experience with men. Always happy to help."

Cas nodded, smiling, "Thank you, but I can handle Dean."

"And I don't doubt that for a second," Magnus said pulling Cas into a warm hug.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Sam hugged Clary tightly, wrapping his gigantic muscular arms around her tiny stature.

"You know you're like the little badass sister I never had," Sam said, grinning.

"And you're the brother I  _ wish _ I had," Clary sighed deeply, pulling away from the hug.

Sam frowned, "you have a brother?"

Clary stared back at him, "Sam, he was a psychopath. Nearly ended our world once." Sam looked a little freaked out but who was he to judge? Dean almost ended the world once too.

"I get it, I do. You guys here, you look out for each other, alright?" Sam said. Clary nodded, burying her head in Sam's chest.

Sam turned to Isabelle.

"I know I'm not supposed to do this as the Weapons Master, but here," She handed Sam a dagger laced with runes, "Don't worry, the runes won't kill you."

Sam hesitated momentarily before accepting the dagger, "Woah."

"It's a parting gift. For you, it's just an ordinary dagger. For us," she gently wrapped her fingers around the weapon and then used her seraph blade to activate the runes, and the dagger lit up for a second before returning to normal.

"Isabelle, this is amazing, thank you!" Sam said, grabbing the girl into a warm hug. Sam was elated.

Sam said his goodbyes to Jace, Alec and Magnus, Dean and Cas saying goodbye to Izzy, Clary and Jace before Magnus clapped his hands together.

"I can't open up a portal in this tiny dusty motel room, so we'll have to find an open space," Magnus said.

"Oh, there was an empty field just outside of town," Sam gasped.

"Alright, one final ride, everyone let's go," Dean ushered them out of the room, grabbing his jacket and keys.

\--

It was midday when they all stepped out onto the field. The gang had stopped for a quick lunch and drinks ("No Dean, day drinking isn't wise," said Cas), and then squeezed back into the cars and drove to the empty field just outside of town.

Jace and Alec stretched and checked they had all their weapons on them. Clary's boots crunched the leaves beneath her strong feet as she walked, following Magnus and Castiel out into the middle of the field. Sam, Dean, and Isabelle followed suit. 

"Alright, everyone ready?" Magnus called out.

"I guess we'll see you later?" Clary asked, hopeful. 

Sam grinned as he replied, "Just don't bring any demons with you next time." 

Clary laughed and even Alec smirked a little. 

Magnus waved his hands in a circle, reaching out to his magic. His fingertips sparkled a deep shade of purple and red, right before a light blue portal opened up like a rift opening through thin air. 

"Holy shit," Dean muttered, eyes nearly blinded by the light. 

"See you guys later!" Jace waved before stepping into the portal followed by Clary and Isabelle. Alec smiled gently and nodded at them before stepping through. Magnus turned around eyeing Dean and yelled, "Call me!" Dean grinned and nodded, watching as Magnus stepped through and the entire portal closed up behind him leaving the field just as it had been before. 

"This job never gets old," Dean muttered, still staring at the space, flabbergasted. 

"Drinks?" Sam asked. 

"Absolutely," Cas nodded, turning to go back to his car while Sam got into the passenger's seat of the Impala. Dean sighed, taking the paper out of his pocket and stared at the number. He pulled out his phone and made sure to save the number before he lost it altogether. Cas poked his head by Dean's right shoulder, grinning a little. Dean turned his head and quickly kissed Cas. Cas held Dean gently by his waist and nodded to the car. 

"Let's go home," Cas said. 

As Sam waited for his brother, he pulled out the dagger Isabelle had given him. Its weight was perfectly balanced. Sam smiled to himself as he twirled the danger between his fingers and rammed it back into his pocket. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the official end to the story!   
> The next chapter will be a little fun sequel/extra scene :)   
> I hope you enjoyed the story, please do let me know your thoughts!   
> All the best,   
>  \- nethmi


	8. Sequel: The warlock and the hunter

Dean waited at the coffee shop, tapping his cup impatiently. After a few long minutes, the glamourous warlock took his seat opposite Dean.

"Dean! Always a pleasure to see you," Magnus said. He was wearing a red button-up shirt, with a black jacket over it which had little bronze threads weaved into it at the shoulders. Magnus's hair had blonde streaks and he was wearing quite a few necklaces and rings that shimmered when the light hit at the correct angle. Magnus ordered a drink (Dean's treat).

"How's Alec?" Dean asked, taking a small sip.

"He's the Inquisitor at Alicante, so he has his desk stacked with work. I help where I can, of course. And how is dear Castiel?" Magnus asked, quickly thanking the waitress for the coffee and the slice of apple pie.

Dean smiled, "Cas is good. The world's not ending for the first time, so we've decided to take a little break. Sam wants to use the bunker as a headquarter for up and coming hunters, so he's been trying to get me to move out."

Magnus laughed, "He's quite the visionary, huh?"

"You have no idea," Dean chuckled.

"You don't like the idea of moving out?" Magnus asked, observing Dean, carefully.

Dean twirled his drink in his hand, "I mean, I don't mind. I just- I don't know. If I move out then, of course, Cas will have to move in with me and I don't know if that's something he wants…"

Magnus sighed, "Alec and I faced the same problem years ago. Alec wanted to move in with me, but I wanted to take it slow. We went at our own pace, as should you with Castiel. Why don't you ask how he feels?"

Dean groaned, "What if he doesn't want to move in? What if he thinks I'm being needy and bitchy about it?"

Magnus laughed, "Castiel loves you regardless, I can assure you that. Instead of worrying your little head about it, just ask him, Dean."

Dean gulped and nodded.

Magnus watched as people rushed in and out of the café, going on about their busy lives.

"Any world-threatening events yet?" Dean asked Magnus, changing the subject. 

Magnus shook his head, "The vampires have been a bit quiet lately, which is strange, but nothing major so far. Alec is doing a fantastic job as the Inquisitor, to be honest. But his working hours are later than usual."

"You miss him," Dean said. He watched Magnus flicker his eyes down to his cup and let out a massive sigh.

"I do. I don't see him as much as I would like to. He comes home late sometimes, and yes, I'm grateful that everything is okay. But I just wish I got to spend more time with him," Magnus said.

"Not that I'm one for giving relationship advice but if I'm gonna be honest with you man, cherish the times you have with Alec. Make the most out of it. You guys planning on having kids?" Dean asked, taking another sip.

Magnus stiffened, "We haven't had that talk yet. I want kids, but I don't know if Alec does."

Dean grinned, "Take your own advice and talk to him."

Magnus smirked, "You're a little shit, you know that?"

Dean howled with laughter, "Yeah and you're no saint either, Magnus."

"Have you spoken to Castiel about the whole immortality issue yet?" Magnus asked. It was a conversation he and Alec had also had a while ago, and although at first, it was rocky, they managed to settle it out.

"Nope. I don't really wanna think about that. I'm gonna grow old and die and Cas is just… he's gonna move on…"

Magnus leaned forward, eyeing Dean, "Take it from someone who has loved and lost, over and over again, Castiel will cherish your moments together. Yes, he will move on, because that's what happens in life. But that doesn't mean your relationship with him was worth anything less. I see the way Castiel looks at you, he adores you."

Dean blushed lightly, turning a shade of pink, "Yeah, he's too good for me. I've been trying to do better, you know? Taking him out on dates, and getting him gifts and doing shit like that."

Magnus grinned, "Trust me, he appreciates it."

"Valentine's day is coming up, and I don't want to be that mushy lovey-dovey boyfriend, but I want to do something special for Cas, any ideas?" Dean asked.

Magnus narrowed his eyes, thinking, "Do something quiet, and intimate. Dinner? Nothing too flashy, I think Castiel will appreciate anything you do for him."

Dean bit his lips, "Yeah you're right. I'll ask Sam and Claire as well. Thanks, Magnus."

Magnus smiled lop-sided. They talked some more about their worlds and how their families were doing. Magnus updated Dean on Clary and Jace, and how they're engaged now. Simon and Izzy were taking things slowly but they were for sure in love. Izzy became the head of the New York institute whilst Alec became the Inquisitor. Clary was the Weapons Master, and everyone was doing well. Max, Alec and Isabelle's younger brother, was going to the New York institute as well, so Izzy could keep a close eye on him. Max travelled back and forth between the institute and Alicante to see his elder brother. Magnus lived with Alec in Alicante but he, too, travelled a lot.

Meanwhile, Dean explained how Eileen came back to life. Heaven had been unstable ever since most of their angels died, and Heaven's power weakened. A few souls fell back to Earth, including Eileen. They found a spell to bring Eileen back to life and Sam had been ecstatic. Sam and Eileen were taking things slower than Dean and Cas which was really saying something. Eileen was also on board with the whole "giving out the bunker to the next generation of hunters" idea. Dean didn't mind moving out but again, the whole problem with Cas remained. Dean and Cas were doing well. Dean would sometimes have nightmares about all his trauma buried in his head, whether that was Hell or Purgatory or carrying the Mark of Cain. But he would wake up next to Cas, who would gently calm him down, reassuring him by placing tender kisses all over Dean. Dean loved waking up next to Cas, his best friend, and his lover. Cas made him feel safe, and he helped Dean manage his anger and trauma. Cas encouraged Dean to go to therapy too. Sam was surprised to find that Dean actually agreed but that was a slow healing process.

Everything was going well, maybe a little too well, and that worried Dean.

"You think too much," Magnus sighed, "the world isn't out to get you, Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Dude, have you  _ met  _ me?"

Magnus laughed, "Well, this has been lovely. We need to catch up more often. But I need to get back to my world. I have this young vampire who I promised to take under my wing and he's just- well- he's  _ troublesome _ , let's just say. Give Castiel, Sam and Eileen all my love. Text me on your Valentine's plans, I'll help you with that."

Dean's eyes lit up, "You're fucking awesome, dude."

They hugged quickly before Magnus waved and left. Dean sat alone, watching life outside. He pulled out his phone and called Cas.

"Hey, feathers. Do you want anything for dinner? Yeah, Magnus just left…. Yeah… Alright… Ask Sam and Eileen if they want anything…. Sure thing, sweetheart. See you... I love you," Dean ended the call, slowly smiling to himself. Saying "I love you" had become a whole easier in the past few months. All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really the end. Thank you for reading!!  
> All the love,  
> \- nethmi


End file.
